The Paradox of the Cross

The death of Jesus remains a mystery at the
heart of our faith. From the Gospel accounts,
we can surmise that Jesus was: betrayed by
Judas, one of His own apostles; arrested
under the direction of the political forces
of His day; convicted without just cause
by the Roman governor Pilate under the pressure
of the near-revolting crowd; scourged and
tormented on His way to Calvary; and nailed
to die on the cross.

The Church teaches us that the death
of Jesus
cannot be blamed on any individual
or people;
rather, all sinners are collectively
held
accountable for His death. The agony
of His
suffering continues to this very day
at the
hands of the hardened hearts and contemptuous
acts of sinners, a group to which all
of
us belong.

The suffering and death of God's only
Son
was not the result of an unfortunate
series
of events; rather, it was the centerpiece
of God's plan of redemption for His
lost
children. Those involved in acting
against
Jesus were allowed to carry out their
dark
desires as part of that plan. St. Paul
expressed
God's plan in his letter to the Colossians:
"He delivered us from the power
of darkness
and transferred us to the kingdom of
his
beloved Son, in whom we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins… He is the
beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, that in
all
things He Himself might be preeminent.
For
in Him all the fullness was pleased
to dwell,
and through Him to reconcile all things
for
Him, making peace by the blood of His
cross
(through Him), whether those on earth
or
those in heaven. And you who once were
alienated
and hostile in mind because of evil
deeds
He has now reconciled in his fleshly
body
through his death, to present you holy,
without
blemish, and irreproachable before
Him."
(Colossians 1.13,14,18b-22)

Jesus offered Himself in our place,
accepting
the collective punishment of all the
sins
of humanity. In the Eucharist, which
we 'do
in memory of Him', we recall His sacrifice
on the cross. As noted in the Letter
to the
Hebrews, He is at once both Priest
and Perfect
Sacrifice: "It was fitting that
we should
have such a high priest: holy, innocent,
undefiled, separated from sinners,
higher
than the heavens. He has no need, as
did
the high priests, to offer sacrifice
day
after day, first for his own sins and
then
for those of the people; He did that
once
for all when He offered Himself."
(Hebrews
7.26-27)

The obedience of Jesus, symbolized
by the
cross, is a model for the obedience
to God
to which we are all called. As Jesus
said
to all: "If anyone wishes to come
after
me, he must deny himself and take up
his
cross daily and follow Me." (Luke
9.23)

It is first and foremost out of His
merciful
love that He willfully submitted to
death
on the cross. The crucifixion of Christ
was
not the act of human sacrifice deigned
to
appease the divine judgement of the
Father;
rather, it was necessary to demonstrate
to
all of us enslaved to sin that: "No
one has greater love than this, to
lay down
one's life for one's friends."
(John
15.13) It is to this non-judgmental,
all-inclusive
gift of God's love that all of us are
called
to revel in as His joyful children.

This poem expresses the great gift
of His
merciful love poured out for us from
the
cross:

The Paradox of The Cross

Is the Father a vengeful god,
Seeking retribution for sin?
That would reduce the faith to fraud
-
His steadfast love? Fake and foreign!

If Christ was human sacrifice,
His death's the end; debts paid by
pain.
In fact, Mercy has paid the price -
Limitless love - His gift's our gain!

The final end of sin is death;
"Forgive them!" He called
from
the cross.
New life was breathed in His last breath
-
His blood covered our debt's full cost.

In His wounds, we have our healing;
By His blood -- innocents restored;
His soul bleeds mercy, revealing
The divine nature of the Lord.

The Lamb saves sinners from their fall;
The Divine Mercy merits all.

Holy Spirit, help me to recall the great
gift of God's mercy poured out on the cross,
that I may respond wholeheartedly to the
Lord's call: "And when I am lifted up
from the earth, I will draw everyone to Myself."
(John 12.32). Amen..